Question for 335d owners

Chips335d · 10-25-2010, 03:34 PM

Last night my car flashed the DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) warning on the iDrive screen signaling 999 miles till the car won't start. Checked again this morning, same warning. Here's the kicker....

I have 4,580 miles on the car!?!?!? I thought this AdBlue fluid would last until 10-12k. I'm a little worried.

Did a search, very few reporting low miles for the warning, especially this low. Most of the problems with the DEF seem related to the X5d not 335d.

So I either have a leak, my dealer didn't fill it properly upon delivery or I depleted it over 5 months and close to 5,000 miles...WTF?

Anyone else have this issue?

maswastage · 10-25-2010, 04:13 PM

Have you had your software updated? There was some kind of glitch with the original software that would cause phantom error messages, including headlights being out when they were working fine and the Urea being low when it wasn't. That seems like the most likely culprit; no matter how hard you drive, you won't go through an entire tank of Urea in less than 5,000 miles.

Chips335d · 10-25-2010, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maswastage

Have you had your software updated? There was some kind of glitch with the original software that would cause phantom error messages, including headlights being out when they were working fine and the Urea being low when it wasn't. That seems like the most likely culprit; no matter how hard you drive, you won't go through an entire tank of Urea in less than 5,000 miles.

Thanks! I wasn't aware there was a software update. My car was delivered in early June so I would like to think the car is up to date. Perhaps not. I have a service appt set up for Wednesday so I'll find out.

F32Fleet · 10-25-2010, 04:54 PM

There's always the chance they didn't do a complete fill at the factory. With your low miles it would be very hard to burn through that much DEF. I'd damn near say impossible.

mbsbike2002 · 10-25-2010, 07:45 PM

Chips,

We had the same symptom in our 2009 335d, at about the same mileage. We were, unfortunately, more than 999 miles from home when the DEF warning came on. We found the nearest dealer, and they added less than 2 liters of DEF. After purging and refilling the system a few times, they determined that the DEF quantity sensor had failed.

Good luck...

tlak77 · 10-25-2010, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maswastage

Have you had your software updated? There was some kind of glitch with the original software that would cause phantom error messages, including headlights being out when they were working fine and the Urea being low when it wasn't. That seems like the most likely culprit; no matter how hard you drive, you won't go through an entire tank of Urea in less than 5,000 miles.

Not sure where you are getting your info, "problem" OP describe is "out there." I had it some other people posted it too, here is the LINK that addresses the issue.

maswastage · 10-25-2010, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tlak77

Not sure where you are getting your info, "problem" OP describe is "out there." I had it some other people posted it too, here is the LINK that addresses the issue.

My info is coming from personal experience. Before I had my software updated, my car was throwing random fault codes, such as telling me my front right cornering light was malfunctioning when in fact it was working correctly. My check engine light would come on for a few days and disappear again for no reason. Similarly, it told me my urea fluid was low when I had had it refilled less than 1000 miles prior, and then this warning also disappeared a few days later.

Such phantom codes are symptomatic of the software glitching, the most common symptom being the SES light coming on for no apparent reason, but as in my case other fault codes may also appear for no reason, including the low urea warning.

Like I said, it's highly unlikely for his Urea to actually have run out in such a short time frame.

EVTee · 10-25-2010, 10:28 PM

I had the same problem @ 8,000km. It was a false alarm, went away on its own a couple days later. Had my software updated when I went in to the dealer for EGR issue. Last week I had my first service and it said they filled about 9.5 liters of DEF.

tlak77 · 10-26-2010, 05:36 AM

EVTee, How many miles did you have at time of service? E90 Active tank is 7.4L and Passive 12.7L at service; does the invoice indicate they filled up both tanks, just wonder?
IF there is DEF issues it's simply related to the fact that tanks were not filled properly from the start or the re-circulating pump is not working right.

toymaker · 10-26-2010, 01:00 PM

Buy a container of BMW DEF fluid from the deal @15 bucks.
It has the correct filler nozzle to insert into the filler tube.
Keep it in the trunk for emergencies.

PJPHughes · 10-26-2010, 01:36 PM

I didn't get any errors pre or post-software update. I looked at the receipt to see if I could tell how much AdBlue they topped my tank up with (6800 miles) but it didn't say.

Having a spare bottle at home for $15 seems like a good idea....saves a dealer visit.

10-25-2010, 03:34 PM	#1
Chips335d Private First Class 9 Rep 132 Posts Drives: 2011 E90 M Sport 335d Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: USA iTrader: (0)	Question for 335d owners Last night my car flashed the DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) warning on the iDrive screen signaling 999 miles till the car won't start. Checked again this morning, same warning. Here's the kicker.... I have 4,580 miles on the car!?!?!? I thought this AdBlue fluid would last until 10-12k. I'm a little worried. Did a search, very few reporting low miles for the warning, especially this low. Most of the problems with the DEF seem related to the X5d not 335d. So I either have a leak, my dealer didn't fill it properly upon delivery or I depleted it over 5 months and close to 5,000 miles...WTF? Anyone else have this issue? __________________ CURRENT:2011 E90 335d LeMans Blue/Oyster-Black CURRENT:2010 Mercedes Benz C63 AMG Black/Black RETIRED: 2007 E92 335i Alpine White/Black RETIRED: 2004 E46 330i ZHP Jet Black/Black RETIRED: 2001 E46 330Ci Steel Grey/Black
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10-25-2010, 04:13 PM	#2
maswastage Resident Diesel Junkie 56 Rep 1,070 Posts Drives: 2010 AW 335d Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Maryland iTrader: (0)	Have you had your software updated? There was some kind of glitch with the original software that would cause phantom error messages, including headlights being out when they were working fine and the Urea being low when it wasn't. That seems like the most likely culprit; no matter how hard you drive, you won't go through an entire tank of Urea in less than 5,000 miles.
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10-25-2010, 04:54 PM	#4
F32Fleet Lieutenant General 3596 Rep 10,358 Posts Drives: 2015 435i Join Date: May 2005 Location: Southeastern US iTrader: (0)	There's always the chance they didn't do a complete fill at the factory. With your low miles it would be very hard to burn through that much DEF. I'd damn near say impossible.
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10-25-2010, 07:45 PM	#5
mbsbike2002 Registered 0 Rep 1 Posts Drives: 2019 X3 M40i Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Dallas iTrader: (0)	Chips, We had the same symptom in our 2009 335d, at about the same mileage. We were, unfortunately, more than 999 miles from home when the DEF warning came on. We found the nearest dealer, and they added less than 2 liters of DEF. After purging and refilling the system a few times, they determined that the DEF quantity sensor had failed. Good luck...
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10-25-2010, 10:28 PM	#8
EVTee Second Lieutenant 63 Rep 267 Posts Drives: 2019 X3 M40i Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Vancouver, BC iTrader: (0)	I had the same problem @ 8,000km. It was a false alarm, went away on its own a couple days later. Had my software updated when I went in to the dealer for EGR issue. Last week I had my first service and it said they filled about 9.5 liters of DEF.
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10-26-2010, 05:36 AM	#9
tlak77 Private 3 Rep 83 Posts Drives: F30 335i Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Great Mills, MD iTrader: (0)	EVTee, How many miles did you have at time of service? E90 Active tank is 7.4L and Passive 12.7L at service; does the invoice indicate they filled up both tanks, just wonder? IF there is DEF issues it's simply related to the fact that tanks were not filled properly from the start or the re-circulating pump is not working right. __________________ T 2013 335i F30 B45, LCSW, ZMM, ZDH, ZPP, ZTP, 337, 2TV, 428, 494, 688, 6AA, 6AB, 6VA Flickr
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10-26-2010, 01:00 PM	#10
toymaker Private First Class 35 Rep 188 Posts Drives: 2011 328i Join Date: May 2009 Location: S. Florida iTrader: (0)	Buy a container of BMW DEF fluid from the deal @15 bucks. It has the correct filler nozzle to insert into the filler tube. Keep it in the trunk for emergencies.
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10-26-2010, 01:36 PM	#11
PJPHughes Private First Class 34 Rep 173 Posts Drives: '10 335d Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Los Angeles, CA iTrader: (1)	I didn't get any errors pre or post-software update. I looked at the receipt to see if I could tell how much AdBlue they topped my tank up with (6800 miles) but it didn't say. Having a spare bottle at home for $15 seems like a good idea....saves a dealer visit.
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